Love Realized
by The Lost Canuck
Summary: Naruto had always known that Hinata as different from his other friends, but when he is at a low point in his life he finds out just how special she is.
1. Reflection

**Disclaimer :** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 1 : Reflection

It's been one month since the end of the Fifth Shinobi World War and Naruto has been in a depressed mood. Konoha has lost a lot of great shinobi and he is feeling guilty, knowing that he was part of the reason Obito started the war.

Naruto was walking through the new streets of Konoha lost in his thoughts and admiring the hard work the citizens of the Leaf Village. It takes a lot of skill and cooperation to rebuild a city destroyed, Naruto couldn't believe that it had already been a year since Pain came to Konoha intent, and successful, on it's destruction. _"cha - why couldn't I have made it back sooner and saved my village from complete destruction"_ thought Naruto.

Having made his way to the edge of the new village Naruto seeked out his special place, the one place he knew he would be in solitude to reflect on the events of the past year, the place where he would be able to mourn the loss of shinobi who died fighting to protect everything they all knew and loved being taken from them by Uchiha Obito. Making sure he wasn't being watched Naruto jumped into the canopy of the trees and headed to a secluded clearing in the forest next to a small stream. But as usual he didn't noticed a pair of pale eyes watching him all the way.

Unseen by Naruto, Hinata followed at a distance making sure he didn't hear himself being followed, she knew where he was going, she had followed him here before after his battle with Pain, after he failed to bring Sasuke back to the village, after he failed to make Sasuke stay in the village all those years ago. She knew this spot, she knew this was his spot, she knew that she shouldn't intrude on Naruto-kun's solitude but this time something about him was different and she was worried. She had a family to surround her and support her after the stress and horror of war, but Naruto-kun didn't have anyone but his friends and he had been pushing them away.

She watched as Naruto settled himself on the grass laying down with his hands behind his head, staring blankly as the clouds passed by. "I will just watch over him" Hinata said to herself, "he is hurting and needs space, I shouldn't violate his privacy". And so she sat in the boughs of the trees keeping a vigilant watch over the one she loved, unseen and unheard.

After three hours Naruto finally started to stir, his thoughts swirling around in his head, his emotions tumultuous. Anger was starting to bubble up in his chest and he felt the urge to shout.

"AHHHHHHHHH, WHY?!" …. "Why does it have to be this way? Why did it have to be a war?". Naruto rolled over onto his hands and knees and started to punch the soft ground. "Neji! Kakashi! Choza! Bushy Brow Sensi! …" he said accentuating each name with a powerful blow to the ground, tears now streaming down his cheeks. Up in the trees Hinata was startled by Naruto's sudden outburst, and she felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her chest as he yelled out the name of each lost comrade. She knew that she shouldn't disturb Naruto, but she couldn't bear to watch him suffer, thinking he was alone in the world. "CURSE YOU OBITO!", Naruto yelled, "you stole them from me, my friends, my teachers, my family", he said quietly while lowering his forehead to the cool grass. Naruto once again rolled over to lay on his back in the grass, this time with his forearm covering his eyes as the stream of tears refused to stop flowing.

Hinata silently jumped down from the trees behind some bushes and stepped out into the clearing making enough of a noise to rouse Naruto, being careful not to startle him.

"N-N-Naruto-kun", she said shly.

"Hinata!", exclaimed in surprise. He bolted up into a sitting position, keeping his back to Hinta, not wanting her to see him like this.

_"Crap, I didn't want to scare him! I should have let him be"_ Hinata thought to herself.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" he asked her.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry Naruto-kun", she said feeling awkward "I followed you, y-y-you shouldn't be alone, I am worried about you".


	2. Confession

**Disclaimer :** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 2 : Confession

"Go away Hinata, I want to be alone," breathed Naruto "that's why I came here."

Hinata slowly made her way to Naruto and sat down beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs, and resting her chin on knees. "N-N-Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. Y-y-you didn't seal the Kyuubi inside you, and you didn't tell Obito-sama to start that war" Hinata responded keeping her eyes forward, giving Naruto some time to compose himself enough to face her.

"Go away, please. They're all gone and not just leaf shinobi but thousands of shinobi from all the nations GONE because of this damned fox inside me" he muttered, still not turning to face Hinata. "The fox that's inside ME Hinata" he groaned as he got up to leave, "Now please just leave me alone."

As Naruto was taking a step towards the stream to find a quiet place deeper in the forest Hinata said "I-i-if you leave I will f-f-follow you again, I followed you here today and I will keep following you," quietly in an even tone feeling braver with each word "I won't let you be alone, n-n-not this time" she finished saying, gradually becoming quieter and her cheeks turning red with embarrassment and nervousness because she knew she was letting him know that she has known about his other trips to this spot, that she was informing him that she has been watching him from a distance for a long time.

Naruto stopped mid step his right foot hovering inches from the ground, a confused look on his face. Without saying a word Naruto put his foot back down and walked back to the spot he had just vacated, knowing that what Hinata had just said was true. He could tell from the tone of her voice and the uncharacteristic way she had just spoken with him that it would be a waste of effort to try and outrun her byakugan. Slowly he sat back down next to Hinata, still not looking in her direction, his legs crossed and his arms hanging limply from his shoulders.

After 10 minutes of sitting together in silence Naruto finally broke the silence, "Hinata-chan what do you mean 'Not this time'?"

Hinata's could feel her cheeks burning and she wanted desperately to run away and hide, she was always the shy one, hiding her feelings and watching from a distance. But she knew that this time she had to be brave and finally let Naruto know how deep her feelings for him were.

With her heart racing she started "N-N-Naruto-kun, I-I-I have followed you here before." taking a deep and steadying breath she continued, "the first time was after Sasuke ran away from the village to train with Orochimaru." Hinata could feel the breeze cooling her flaming cheeks, she felt like this was all a dream, she couldn't believe that she was actually having this conversation with Naruto. This was something that she had often fantasized about since that day at the academy, the first time she heard him tell everyone his "ninja way" after standing up to the other kids who were bullying him. The day that she first discovered her feelings for the blond spiky haired troublemaker with the goggles on his head. "Naruto-kun I-I-I want you to know that you're not alone, that you don't have to carry this burden that you have placed on your own shoulders." she just couldn't stop herself, now that she had begun it was like an unstoppable flow of words, "But this time I can't let you be alone, this time you need a friend. We all suffered great losses during the war but not one person in the village blames you for what happened, this isn't like when we were kids and you were feared because of the Kyuubi."

Hinata paused a moment trying to puzzle her thoughts together. She wasn't quite sure how she wanted to say what she wanted to next, fear still gripping her heart.

"Naruto-kun, you have done it. You have showed the people of the village your ninja way, you have shown them that you are a person to be recognized, that you are not a monster, that the Kyuubi doesn't define you." With another small pause she finished by saying, "That is why I fell in love with you all those years ago, because I always saw you as someone who was strong and could persevere even when nobody believed in you, but I want you to know that I believe in you and I always have, even though I wasn't strong enough to tell you back then Naruto-kun. And that is why I cannot let you be alone to suffer like this, it feels like my heart is being ripped apart when I see how much you are hurting inside."

As she finished talking Hinata glanced over in Naruto's direction to see his reaction, afraid that he would be angry and push her away. Confessing your feelings to the one you love is never easy and for someone who isn't naturally brave and forward it was almost more than she could bear.

Hinata was surprised to see that the expression on Naruto's face had not changed, he still had that blank and vacant look in his eyes as they stared straight ahead. She began to doubt that he had heard her at all and a whole new fear wrapped its cold hands around her heart, she didn't think that she could give that speech again.

Naruto and Hinata sat there in silence, Naruto still unresponsive and Hinata fidgeting her nerves a jumbled mess. The slanted shafts of sunlight made their slow progress across the forest floor as the day drew on. Unable to bear the silence any longer Hinata stood, every muscle in her body screaming at her to run away from Naruto, she wanted to run back to her room and cry. She felt for sure that Naruto was never going to speak to her again and she felt so crushed that there was a physical pain in her chest, as though her heart was literally breaking to pieces.

As she was about to take her first step Naruto reached up and grabbed her hand, his head hung low. Hinata felt an electric shock through her body starting from the spot Naruto was touching her, she couldn't believe it he was holding her hand. This was something that she had always dreamed of, although under much better circumstances. But she still had that nagging doubt in her mind that he was upset, that he was only stopping her so that he could tell her to never follow him again, to never speak to him.

"No Hinata, stay." Naruto said gently.


	3. Naruto

Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of the characters :'(

Thank you to everyone that has commented on my story so far, and thanks to the people who have favourited either the story or me it's a real confidence booster for a first timer :)

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Chapter 3: Naruto

He couldn't believe she had been following him! "I checked before I left the village, how could I have not noticed that Hinata was trailing me?" Naruto thought to himself. "I can't see why Baa-chan hasn't placed her in the Anbu yet, or am I just getting that sloppy nowadays?

"Go away Hinata, I want to be alone," breathed Naruto "That's why I came here."

Assuming that Hinata would respect his wishes, Naruto went back to brooding over the events during the war that had changed his life forever. Already putting aside that Hinata had followed him to his secluded spot in the woods.

Much to his surprise, Hinata wasn't moving away, but rather was walking towards him. Why couldn't she just leave, his whole reason for coming out here was so that he would be able to express his grief without the prying eyes of his friends. The absolute last person he wanted to see him like this was shy and sensitive Hinata.

Hinata settled in the grass beside him, Naruto couldn't believe his ears, as Hinata was actually refusing to listen to him, making him think more angrily. "What the hell is she thinking? Didn't he just tell her to leave him alone?" Naruto sighed inwardly, "Doesn't she understand that I lost not only some friends but my sensei too?"

Shortly after sitting Hinata spoke up quietly, in a whisper. "N-N-Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. Y-y-you didn't seal the Kyuubi inside you, and neither did you tell Obito-sama to start the war." Naruto ground his teeth, as he disagreed with Hinata completely. No excuses could make up for his broken promises that he miserably failed to accomplish for his comrades.

"Go away, please! They're all gone and not just leaf shinobi, but thousands from all the nations, gone because of this damned fox inside me" Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and got up. "The fox inside ME Hinata." If she wasn't going to leave then he was, he would find a new place to reflect on the people lost to him forever.

"Now, please just leave me alone." Naruto said lastly before walking away.

He had made it as far as the stream before Hinata told him something shocking "I-I-If you leave I will follow you again, I followed you here today and I will keep following you"

"I won't let you be alone, n-n-not this time" He knew that the second she finished, Hinata was telling the truth, Naruto also acknowledged that with the Byakugan as her advantage, it would be easy for her to do so.

With that in mind, he dropped his foot inches from the water's edge and walked back to the grassy indent that he had just left, flopping down into a sitting position his arms hanging limply from his shoulders.

Naruto decided that he would try to wait Hinata out; he figured that she couldn't stay beside him all day. She had a family that would worry about her as well as a cousin to mourn; Neji was a big part of her life. She surely would be needed at the Hyuuga family estate, right?

Naruto sat there for a while, with those specific words "Not this time" sticking to him, which Hinata spoken from her own lips. What did she mean? Did Hinata already know about this place? "What is with this girl?" he thought. After what seemed like hours to Naruto, he finally asked. "Hinata-chan what do you mean by 'Not this time'?"

After hearing Hinata explain about how she has always followed him when he left the village to come here and how she was always there watching over him but keeping her distance Naruto realized that he wasn't even all that angry, but he was still annoyed at the fact she was still refusing to leave. He did have a lot to think about and was still in an ongoing struggle with the emotions he had to put aside for so long.

He sat there in silence, no longer thinking about giving Hinata the silent treatment; he knew that it was a useless tactic. Apparently Naruto had misjudged this girl … no, woman. Naruto had to remind himself, they weren't children anymore. Hinata had been witness to Neji's death too, and even she had seen the horror of war just as much as Naruto.

At the thought of the crushing weight of his comrade's death, Naruto shoulders slumped even further, his back hunched over and his head hung low on his chest. He couldn't help but feel responsible. He had sworn that he wouldn't let Obito kill any more of his comrades. He had given his word! Yet like the other promises, it was deemed unsuccessful.

Naruto's eyes started to line with unshed tears without him realizing it right away. He tried to blink them away but new ones replaced them just as quickly, never failing. The second he closed his eyes he vision of Neji's broken and lifeless body appeared before him.

Also accompanying the pictures of Negi were what seemed like limitless beaten and bloodied faces of fallen comrades. Even the grief stricken families flashed across his mind as his brain wouldn't let him forget. Naruto had been sleepless day and night as it persistently haunted him.

"Most powerful ninja of the shinobi world, Hero of the Leaf, Savior of the Great Nations!" thought Naruto. He didn't feel like any one of those things. "Ha! What a load of crap! Neji died in my arms and I couldn't do anything to save him, I watched as the light left his eyes."

[At least you were able to save that Nara boy - what was his name?] Kurama said; finally ready to help the boy with his sorrow.

"Shikamaru, that's his name." Naruto responded.

[Right Shikamaru, he was about near to death until we assisted that pink haired girl with our combined chakra to help speed up his healing. ] Kurama continued.

"I know, but what about Kakashi-sensei? After he came out of that bastard Obito's Genjutsu, our chakra didn't do a damn thing." Naruto thought not quite ready to let go of the burden he chose to carry. "Or the ability to save Bushy-Brow sensei after Madara used his Susano to crush him into the ground like a bug."

Kurama growled as he replied [Remember what Obito said to you just before the tailed beasts were pulled from him].

"I know," Naruto sighed "It's so hard though! How am I supposed to let go of my pain and sorrow? I gave my word, I promised that I would protect them all and I never go back on my promises."

[Snap out of it kid, don't you remember your own speech to Obito? You aren't alone anymore and the memories of the comrades you lost live on within you. Remember it's not just your life anymore, you have people who depend and love you.] Kurama preached to Naruto.

That was when Naruto finally came out of his own head. Kurama was right as long as he never forgot about the ones that were killed they would never truly be gone, they would always live on in his heart.

The sun turned into shades of pink and orange melting together perfectly, signaling to Naruto that it was already sundown "Tch, how long was I spaced out for?" He thought, realizing how late it had gotten. Naruto jumped when Hinata started to rise from the ground, she had been so quiet all day that he almost forgot that she was there and the movement startled him. He watched as she stood and brushed the grass and dirt from her clothes.

While watching her raven hair dance in the wind he could feel yet again the sting from her hand as she literally slapped some sense into him, reminding him why Neji and the others sacrificed themselves in the first place. The depth of her lavender, yet calming eyes remained most clear in his mind, he couldn't deny that something stirred in his heart.

Kurama was right, he wasn't alone in this anymore and this woman right here was the one who has always been there for him and, as he just found out, was there for him even at his lowest. It struck him how much he wanted all along for her to be near him. He didn't want her to leave and with that realization Naruto reached up and grabbed Hinata's hand as she was about to take a step.

Saying softly but meaningfully "No Hinata, stay"

I want to thank NaruHina108 for helping me by being a beta reader, and I want to let everyone know that chapter 4 should be out soon.


	4. Naruto's Anchor

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Naruto or any of the characters. BELIEVE IT!

Phew, ok so this one came out a lot faster than the third chapter, but don't expect that for chapter five (I'm still working on that bad boy). Thanks once again to the people leaving reviews, and of course the favourites and follows ;)

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Chapter 4: Naruto's Anchor

Hinata stood there frozen, unsure of how to act next. It had been so long since Naruto-kun had spoken a single word, not including how he ceaselessly told her to go away. Thus, when Naruto unexpectedly asked this Hinata was paralyzed with astonishment. "Stay" Did… Naruto-kun really ask her to stay here with him after all?

Her heart was racing, pounding against her chest relentlessly; she struggled as she tried to control her breathing. He did hear her confession of absolute love and devotion. But she still couldn't understand why he would be asking her to stay, she was so sure that Naruto-kun was angry with her, it was the only logical conclusion she could think of. Why else, would Naruto would have been mute for so long?

"Hinata-chan please stay," Naruto said again, almost pleadingly this time "you were right I need a friend." The pain of all his loss and suffering was clear in his voice.

Hinata returned to her recently vacated seat, doing as Naruto-kun requested without question. What she really wanted though, was to sit a little closer than usual next to Naruto. She was craving to be close to him, to be touching him even if it was only limited to shoulder to shoulder. She didn't mind, wanting to be his anchor to reality. Something that he could be distracted with, as the endless struggle with the raging ocean of despair kept it's firm grasp on his imprisoned mind.

To Hinata's surprise, Naruto still hadn't let go of her hand. She could feel the warmth radiating from his hand into hers, it filled her with the combination of disbelief and desire. The desire to be there for him when he needed stability, the desire to be there for him when he needed someone to share his victories, and most of all, the desire to be the one he came to when he needed to be loved.

"Hinata-chan, how come you have never told me before how deep your feelings were for me? If you've been watching me all this time you should have noticed, long ago, that I gave up on chasing after Sakura. It was clear, even to a knucklehead like me, that Sakura would never stop loving Sasuke." Naruto said. "I know that you told me you loved me while trying to protect me from Pain, but I didn't think you meant it in a romantic sense. I didn't acknowledge your feelings, I never meant to hurt you and if I did I apologize."

"Truth is Hinata-chan, after the invasion from Pain protecting the village was a greater need, which meant that I had to do a lot more training. I didn't have any spare time to think about how I might have felt about it. That was then, I was taken to special training, where I learned how to work with the Kyuubi. Shortly, while away training with Kumara, the war started." Naruto confessed, slowly lifting his head and turning those piercing blue orbs towards Hinata. "You are beautiful, kind, and you care deeply for your friends; always willing to sacrifice your own life to protect any of them."

"I can say that I do care a lot about you, but I need time to examine my own feelings first. Since we have been back from the war, you know just as much as I, how absorbed I've been in my grief and disappointment. I made a promise on the battlefield to protect everyone and not let another person die; I wasn't able to do that, I broke my promise. All I've been able to think about is how I wish I could go back and save Neji and the others."

With a little hesitation, Naruto raised his hand to Hinata's chin gently cupping it in his strong, calloused, yet comforting fingers and slowly turned her head to face him. Locking his sapphire eyes on her pale lavender ones; nearly drowning in them, he said "Hinata-chan thank you for following me today, at first I was annoyed that you wouldn't leave. You see I have always been on my own, I never had anyone care about how I was feeling. The only thing anyone has ever cared about was keeping the Kyuubi safe from the Akatsuki."

Hinata could feel the heat in her cheeks begin to rise. The way he was looking so intensely into her eyes and the silkiness of his usually raspy voice making her melt, causing her to break the eye contact but keeping his hand on her face.

Hinata couldn't believe what was happening to her! Naruto-kun just told her that he cared for her and was willing to think about being in a relationship, she felt like she was about to faint. Seizing her only opportunity, Hinata slowly carried her hand to Naruto's face, placing her palm on his cheek, ready to look him straight in the eye.

"Naruto-kun, I have always been too shy to talk to you so directly and fearing any rejection by you I stayed in the shadows longing to be by your side, even after realizing you weren't interested in Sakura." Hinata admitted truthfully.

"I've never been confident or very confide-"

"Eep!" Hinata squeaked, cutting herself off mid sentence, when in one sudden and swift movement Naruto pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. Her heart hammering against her rib cage and her stomach a nervous ball of knots, she managed to say "N-N-Naruto-kun ..." Completely flustered that she couldn't say another word. This was something she had dreamed of since their days at the academy. "Please stay with me Hinata, let me hold you in my arms. I-I-I," he started saying but stopped as he was getting more nervous.

Hinata, laid her finger upon his lips, hushing him. "It's ok Naruto-kun you don't need to explain anything, didn't I tell you earlier, I want to be here for you." She whispered, barely audible.

With nothing more to say Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata pulling her body into his lap and holding her close.

For Naruto, it felt good to have someone to hold, although in the past he only envisioned of holding Sakura in his arms, but somehow with Hinata it felt right. Holding Hinata in his protective arms, felt like she was the missing piece to his puzzle all along. While feeling all of these new things, he subconsciously settled into Hinata a little more comfortably, pressing his cheek deeper into her raven hair, while inhaling the intoxicating aroma of her shampoo.

For Hinata, it was a fantasy becoming reality. She couldn't believe she was wrapped in Naruto's strong embrace. It all seemed like a dream and she never wanted to wake up! She knew that he never thought of her beyond a comrade and friend but sitting there in his arms she felt safe, it felt right, like this was exactly where she belonged.

When she felt Naruto settle into her and relax, she rotated her hips so that her legs fell more comfortably across his thigh and buried herself deeper into his arms. Settling her head on his strong chest, listening to the harmonic rhythm of his heartbeat. A heart that had been in so much pain and suffering its whole life. She knew what it felt like to be ignored and belittled, but she would never know what it is to be hated without knowing why, or to never have been loved. Just thinking about everything this man had to overcome to be the person he is today made her heart ache.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said, somewhat sleepily.

"Mmm, Hinata-chan," Naruto replied sounding drowsy. "Please just call me 'Naruto', that would make me happy."

Feeling heat again rise in her cheeks, Hinata started over again, "N-N-Naruto-ku … N-Naruto, it's getting late and if I don't go home now, father will worry and send people to look for me. Besides the gates will be closing soon, you should head back too."

Reluctantly Naruto slid his arms from Hinata "Ok, Hinata-chan," he said.

As Hinata turned away from him Naruto placed his hand on her cheek forcing her to look into his eyes once more. "Hinata-cha-"

"N-Naruto, please just call me 'Hinata', we don't have to be so formal." she said still not comfortable addressing Naruto without any honorifics.

"Hinata, please come back here with me tomorrow? I'm still on leave and I can't take another second being in the village alone. I'm going to lose my mind in my apartment with just my shadow clones to keep me company … That is, if you aren't busy and you're able to get away from the Hyuuga estate." He asked.

Placing her hand on top of his, holding it to her cheek, she looked deep into his eyes, liking to see them so up close, replying "Naruto I will always be there for you, I'll meet you here tomorrow afternoon, I promise."After sliding her hand off his, Naruto dropped his hand from her face and watched as she turned to leave.

Leaving Naruto standing there Hinata jumped into the branches of the nearby trees, pausing before heading back into the village.

Looking back over her shoulder she couldn't help but get the feeling she was abandoning him. He looked never so alone and vulnerable standing there; his shoulders once again slumped over. Her heart screamed at her to go back to him but she knew better that she had to get back to the village. Ever since the end of the war, her father had been more protective of Hinata and her sister, Hanabi. With frustration, Hinata turned back to the village, running through the tree tops to the Hyuuga estates. Oh how she wished she could stay with him and ease his suffering a little longer.

Naruto stood for an extra 15 minutes in that clearing, he could still feel Hinata in his arms, her scent lingering in his clothes. "How could I have missed all the signs earlier? Why the hell did I continue to chase after Sakura for so many years?!" He thought.

Confused by his new feelings Naruto followed in Hinata's steps and jumped through the trees back to the village, back to his one room apartment, back to another sleepless night plagued by nightmares and visions of death.

After a dinner of instant ramen, Naruto laid down onto his bed, crossing his arms behind his head. He lay there trying to absorb the events of the day. He had left full of pain and anger, but returned confused and distracted. He recalled Hinata's confession and his talk with Kumara. Thinking back to his actions earlier; that surprised him the most, the moment he pulled Hinata into his arms, he could feel her against him so clearly, the memory of her scent, stirring emotions in him that he never thought he would feel again. Longing for another time to feel her body pressed up against his again.

Naruto rolled over on to his side and closed his eyes trying to fall asleep, knowing all too well that whatever sleep he did find would be short and fitful.

The wooden spikes were flying through the air driving towards a prone Naruto when Hinata threw herself in between Naruto, the man she has loved since their early days. Seeing as the spikes drew nearer, thinking she was moments away from being impaled, is when Neji dove over the pair and took the full force of the spikes, driving into his body, dyeing his Jonin vest a crimson red.

Naruto tossed and turned in a disturbed sleep as the nightmare ravaged his dreams for another night. This had become a recurring thing since Neji and the others were killed. Tonight, he was reliving Neji's death, last night it was Kakashi, tomorrow maybe it would be Bushy-Brow sensei, or Choza, or one of the many others that perished at the hands of the Uchiha duo. At the sight of Neji falling towards him with the… Naruto shot up to a sitting position covered in a cold sweat, his heart racing with adrenaline.

"Gah, not again." Naruto said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "How long did I sleep for this time?"

Looking over to his clock, Naruto saw that it was only past 1 am, with a sigh he flung his blankets off his legs and swung them over to the side of the bed. He knew it was useless to try to go back to sleep, the only things that waited for him there were more nightmares. He stretched his back before walking over to his tiny kitchen, putting the kettle on the stove for some tea.

As Naruto sat at his lone table, his thoughts once again drifted back to Hinata, he wished that she was with him right now. He couldn't help but wonder if she was awake at this hour like he was. He sat there, sipping his tea and dreading the long hours of the night, trying to decide on what he would do until his meeting with Hinata came.

Sakura was busy at the Konoha Hospital tending to patients still recovering from injuries received during the war. Sasuke was being held in interrogation unit of the new Konoha special services. Baa-chan told him that because he was a missing nin for so long the sensory types were still making sure that he was no longer a threat to the safety of the village, but it was looking good enough that he might be released soon under close supervision.

If there was one thing from the war that Naruto did look back on fondly of, was when Sasuke came to help defeat Obito and Madara, agreeing to come back to the village when it was all over. The rest of the Konoha 12 were either staying close to their families or helping to rebuild.

[Go to her Naruto] the Kyuubi said. [Go to the Hyuuga estate and check to see if she is awake.]

"What?! I can't do that, the Hyuuga estates are patrolled all night I'd be caught and risk getting Hinata in trouble with her father." Naruto replied.

[Naruto, you know that you want to see her again why wait until the afternoon?]

"You know the Hyuuga's have the Byakugan I'll be spotted right away"

[Then go and examine the watch, they can't have their Byakugan activated all the time you might get an opening to slip in unnoticed.]

Naruto sat there for a few moments before deciding that Kumara was right. It took a lot of chakra and effort to keep the Byakugan activated so there was a possibility he could go and check on the woman who had been his watchful eye for so long, now the roles are switched! Standing, he moved over to his pile of discarded clothes and pulled on his trademark orange clothes after passing his sniff test.

"I really should get around to washing these" he said, chuckling to himself.

With a half drank cup of tea still positioned on the table Naruto rushed out the door, making his way over to the Hyuuga estates. Stopping across the street, he slid behind some building materials and started collecting natural energy. His plan was to enter Sage Mode and use his sensing abilities to see where the night patrol guards were located. When he finally emerged his pupils were flat and horizontal, with orange outlining his eyelids.

He moved silently around the perimeter of the Hyuuga estate, able to see where all the guards were. As an added bonus he found Hinata's familiar chakra in a room to the back of the estate.

With the new village being built in the crater created from the *Shinra Tensei blast Pain unleashed, the Hyuuga's built their new estates from the crater wall out and for Naruto this was a blessing because the Hyuuga's thought backing onto a cliff wall to be a tactical advantage. There weren't as many guards posted there, in fact Naruto had only found one. It was clear he was a very bored and sleepy guard. The rest of the estate was surrounded by a 10 ft. wall made of solid stone.

When approaching the wall he started to gather chakra at the soles of his feet, intending to walk straight up and over the wall easily. But near the top he saw something he wasn't able to sense before. The top of the wall was lined with a seal that would set off the alarm if anyone other than a Hyuuga were to cross over the estate boundary. "Tch, Hiashi sure is a cautious clan head isn't he!" Naruto muttered to himself.

[Ha! Bet you wish you knew your father's Hiraishin no Jutsu] Kumara mocked.

"Ugh! Be quiet Kumara, maybe I will pay a visit to Baa-chan later this morning to ask for the scroll containing the jutsu" Naruto said.

[Actually that's a really good idea, coming from you, which is rare] Kurama said. Ignoring his comment, Naruto said, "I wonder if the jutsu would get past the wall seal without setting it off. I'll have to ask Hinata about that."

Walking back to his apartment, he thought more about the Jutsu and how it would be nice if both he and Hinata learned it together. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of being able to see her without the prying eyes of the village. He liked the idea of surprise visits from Hinata as well. Instead of nightmares wandering in his subconscious that night only Hinata remained. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled, but today was definitely one which he did.

* * *

*Honorifics: (-kun is primarily used for male, while –chan is primarily used for women) and can be attached to first names as well as surnames, for example, Peter-san, Jessica-san, Smith-san. Using an honorific is generally required when referring to someone, but in some cases it can be dropped.

*Byakugan: The primary ability of the Byakugan gives the user a near 360º field of vision, except for one blind spot. Can see through solid objects, as well as telescopic sight, ability to see chakra, chakra flow, and chakra circulation system inside the body with great detail as well as the color of chakra.

*Shinra Tensei: Ability to manipulate repulsive force, at the user's will to push matter or ninja techniques away

*Hiraishin no Jutsu: Is a technique created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, which allows the user to transport themselves to a given marked location instantaneously.

Once again thank you to NaruHina108 for helping me by being my beta reader, you rock! And like I said earlier chapter 5 is coming but I haven't finished writing it yet, I've barely started! I will get it done as fast as I can.


	5. Budding Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

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Chapter 5: Budding Romance

Sliding his key in the lock, the door clicked noisily as Naruto twisted the doorknob. Entering his apartment, pausing on the threshold, it struck him how messy and dirty his apartment was. Evidence was piled everywhere he looked, trash and dirty clothes continued to pile, filling most of the floor. Ramen cups polluted the kitchen, littered across the counters and filling the sink. "If I'm going to ask Hinata to learn the Hiraishin no Jutsu with me, I need to start cleaning up!" He thought, a wry grin spreading across his face as he imagined a surprise visit from Hinata.

Closing the door behind him, Naruto looked over to his clock. "Gah! I was only gone for an hour! I was hoping to kill more time than that..." He grumbled to the empty room, deciding that there was no better time than now to start cleaning. Making the all too familiar hand signs, he shouted "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Knowing that it would take him at least a week to get everything done by himself, he chuckled, "Learning that Jutsu isn't only useful in battle! Now I can get my chores done three times as fast!"

"Alright boys, let's get this place squeaky clean!" He yelled in encouragement as soon as the three clones appeared. Starting with the clone to his left, he pointed excitedly and ordered, "You pick up all the empty ramen cups and take out the trash." Swinging his arm to the next clone in line he said "You gather all the dirty clothes and take them to be washed." Finally turning to the last clone Naruto yelled, excitement still in his voice, "You help me with the dishes and washing the floors."

"YOSH!" The three clones responded in unison, before getting to work.

With the four Naruto's now zipping around the tiny apartment; tossing out trash, picking up laundry, and washing everything in sight, they were able to make quick work of the enormous task, by the time they were finished the sun was just barely starting to crest over the horizon. No longer looking like a hurricane had just blown through, the apartment now looked like a picture in a magazine, and it no longer smelled like a nauseous mixture of sour milk and month old ramen.

Not wasting any more time, Naruto left his apartment for the second time that morning and headed to the Hokage's office, knowing that it was still too early for Baa-chan to be there, but willing to wait. Armed with this knowledge and feeling a little like his old childish self, he thought that it might be fun to play a little prank?

Taking the street that would lead him to the right side of the Hokage building, Naruto made his way to the perimeter wall that surrounded the offices. As he approached the wall, he sprang to the top before quickly jumping to the roof that housed the academy. Running along the roof he made his way around to the back where the windows to the Hokage's office were located.

As usual Tsunade had left open the window again, providing Naruto easy entrance to her office. Seizing this opportunity, Naruto jumped to the window ledge and lowered himself into the room.

"Hehehehe," he giggled, "You can always count on old Baa-chan to forget about closing her windows."

Checking the time again, Naruto quickly performed the new Jutsu that Konohamaru was working on before every Shinobi, even the Genin's, were dragged into fighting against the horde of White Zetzu's. He spent most of his time during the boat journey that took him to the Land of Lightning perfecting it; the days had been long and there wasn't much else for him to do, however, this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Completing the last sign Naruto yelled, "Sexy Man no Jutsu!" A tall, slender man now stood in Naruto's spot. His hair, now black, shone in a silky softness that shimmered blue in the morning light. Stunning emerald eyes radiated from beneath the locks of hair that fell over his forehead; his cheeks chiseled to perfection. A strong jawline led down to his sensual and desirable lips. His muscular frame casually strode over to Tsunade's desk, where with a short hop, he planted his firm but finely shaped butt. The only identifying feature was the trademark whiskers that graced his cheeks.

Hearing Tsunade slide her key into the office door, Naruto lay suggestively across her desk; wearing nothing more than traditional Japanese underwear.

Pushing open the door Tsunade didn't notice the stranger lying across her desk; looking instead to the open window. "Gah! I forgot to close that again, I need to take it easy on the sake." She sighed aloud to what she thought was an empty room.

Shifting her gaze from the window to her desk Tsunade stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the scrolls containing the latest mission reports that she was carrying. Steam shot out of her nose, her heart began to pound against her rib cage, and her cheeks turned from their usual creamy complexion to a deep red as blood rushed to her face. She looked the stranger up and down, embarrassment quickly turning to a hungry desire. It had been a long time since she had known the touch of a man.

Seeing Tsunade's reaction Naruto burst out in laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Grabbing his stomach and rolling over, he fell off the desk, landing in a heap on the floor. With his loss of concentration the jutsu was released as soon as he hit the floor, revealing his true identity to, a now very angry, Tsunade.

"NARUTO!" wailed Tsunade. "What do you think you're doing in there, like… like… LIKE THAT!"

In a flurry of movement, she was across the room in a flash, gripping Naruto tightly by the collar of his jacket. "I should punch you into next week!" she hollered, her face now turned to beet red with embarrassment and anger.

Standing in the doorway Shizune was giggling quietly, enjoying the show. 'It's nice to see Naruto behaving normally… well normal for him…' She thought smiling. Everyone was understandably subdued since the end of the war a month ago, with the memories still fresh it was hard for the fellow Shinobi to return to their normal lives.

Naruto brought his hands up in surrender, a smirk still plastered on his face. "Hehehe, good morning Baa-chan" Naruto said, in spite of Tsunade's threat he was giggling a little while rubbing the back of his head, hoping to defuse some her her anger.

Deflated, Tsunade let go of Naruto and walked around the side of her desk to sit in the chair. "Why are you here Naruto?" She asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.

Naruto watched as Tsunade made her way behind the desk; catching a movement in the corner of his eye. He turned towards it and saw Shizune standing there, an amused expression on her face. "Good morning Shizune-san" he greeted, before referring back to Tsunade's question.

"Baa-chan I wanted to talk to you about one of my father's jutsu's, the one that earned him the name 'Konoha's Yellow Flash'." he finally answered.

"The Hiraishin no Jutsu?" Tsunade and Shizune questioned at the same time.

"Yes, I want to learn the techniques that my father used." He replied. "I didn't get to know my parents and my father never got the chance to teach me while he was still alive. I just think that I would feel closer to him if I was able to learn his jutsu's." He continued, still not revealing the true intent behind wanting to know the jutsu, but still not completely lying. Even though his father wasn't able to teach him while he was growing up, he would still be able to learn from him through the scrolls he left behind.

"Naruto if it was anyone else I would have to decline, but after everything you have done for the village, and the Shinobi world, how could I say no?" Tsunade answered, her expression softening. She knew Naruto's history, denying him the opportunity to learn from his father's scrolls was out of the question. Her heart ached whenever she thought about all his lonely years growing up, never feeling the love of his parents.

Slightly turning in her chair toward Shizune she ordered, without hesitation, "Shizune, I want you to go over to ANBU headquarters and search the archives for Namikaze, Minato's sealed scroll. Tell ANBU that this is a direct order from the Hokage herself, you are not to be disturbed or questioned."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune answered before making her retreat from the room.

Turning back to Naruto she asked, "How have been holding up Naruto?"

"To be honest Baa-chan not too well. I know that I was pivotal in winning the war, but I just can't let go of the people that were special to me. I made a promise to protect them all and I wasn't able to stop Obito, and then Madara, from killing some of my dearest friends and mentors." Naruto replied, his eyes downcast.

"But I am starting to feel better. I don't think I will ever get over what happened, but someone special is helping me work through the pain." He added as he was stepping onto the window sill, intentionally trying to pique her interest.

Curious Tsunade raised her eyebrow and asked, "And who might this "special" person be?"

Looking back over his shoulder as he sat perched on the sill, a sly grin on his face the only answer she was going to get.

"You know Baa-chan you really should close your windows before you leave for the night, you just don't know what you'll find in your office in the morning." He said a second before jumping out of the window and into the village.

With a frustrated sigh, Tsunade turned to her desk, resting her chin in her hands. "That boy is going to be the death of me, but it's nice to see some of his old mischievousness coming back." A light blush coming to her cheeks as she remembered his little prank.

* * *

Jumping down from the Hokage's window Naruto decided to head over to Konoha Hospital to visit Lee, who was still recuperating from his injuries, the most damaging of which being the loss of his mentor and Sensei, Might Guy.

Arriving at room 301 Naruto gently knocked on the door before quietly sliding the door open.

The bed curtain was drawn closed and the sound of voices filled Naruto's ears. "Is that Sakura-chan?" He wondered.

"How are you feeling today Lee-kun." Sakura asked. Confirming Naruto's suspicion.

"My chest is still sore from the broken ribs, and Hokage-sama said that I still need surgery to repair the damage opening the 7th gate did to my muscles." Lee answered.

Walking to the side of Lee's bed and sitting down by his hips Sakura lay a gentle, comforting hand on Lee's shoulder.

"Lee-kun, you know I wasn't asking about your physical injuries." She chided.

Rock Lee sat there for a moment before answering, fresh tears starting to line his eyes. Losing his Sensei hit him, particularly hard as Might Guy was the first one to ever believe in him, even though he wasn't able to use Ninjutsu. Guy-Sensei taught him what it meant to be a ninja, and how to be a man in the springtime of his youth.

"Sakura-chan ... it still hurts so bad. I can't think about anything else, Guy-Sensei was like a father to me ..." Tears now flowing freely down his cheeks "I don't know how to go on without him."

Sakura moved a little closer to Lee and leaned over to gently wrap her arms around him so that she didn't cause him anymore pain and guided his head onto her shoulder. Lee silently wept on Sakura's shoulder while she ran her hand up and down his back trying to comfort him, whispering encouragement in his ear.

Not wanting to intrude on what was obviously a private moment, Naruto quietly slid the door closed, silently promising to come back another day. Naruto left the hospital thankful that someone was there to help Lee, but surprised by who it was.

Seeing that the sun was starting to make its way across the sky, he thought that it was time to head out the village and into the forest, wanting to be there before Hinata.

With his stomach growling and squealing from hunger, Naruto paused in the middle of the street.

Placing a hand over his noisy stomach, he realized that he didn't have anything to eat since his cup ramen yesterday afternoon.

"Hehehehe," he laughed, while rubbing the back of his head, "I guess I was in such a rush to talk to Baa-chan I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

Knowing that he planned to spend the rest of the day privately with Hinata, he didn't think there wouldn't be much opportunity to eat again until they came back this evening. Stopping at the store he picked out a couple of flavoured rice balls, his favourites pickled plum and spicy tuna, and paid for them at the counter. Leaving the store he continued on his way through the village, eating the rice balls as he walked.

By the time he reached the village gates the rice balls were long ago devoured. Passing through the entrance, the guards returned Naruto's friendly wave. Naruto walked down the well worn path until he reached the tree with a knot that looked like a cat's butt before turning off. Making his way through the tree canopy he arrived to the secluded spot he had always believed to be private, something Hinata showed him to be false ... something, as it turned out, he was glad was to be untrue.

Relieved that he made it before Hinata he hid himself in the branches of a large tree that stood along the perimeter of the clearing. The plan was to wait in hiding until Hinata arrived and observe her for a few minutes. Still unaccustomed to the kind of attention Hinata was willing to give him, he wanted to see, by her reaction when he didn't show up, how genuine her feelings were. Looking up at the sky Naruto was able to see that it should be about time for Hinata to be arriving, with his nerves on edge he settled into his hiding spot and impatiently waited.

Naruto jumped in surprise when he heard the leaves of a nearby tree rustle, looking over he saw Hinata perched on a low branch. "Hmmm, she probably wants to alert me that she's here. If she followed me here all those times there is no way she made so much noise by accident." He continued to watch as Hinata remained on the branch a moment, scanning the area looking for any sign of him, before jumping down into the clearing to wait.

Her nerves strung tight from nerves and tension Hinata stood in the middle of the clearing, alone and feeling vulnerable. She wrapped her left arm around her chest, her right elbow resting on the left forearm. Chewing on her the index finger of her right hand, Hinata was surprised that Naruto wasn't already there. "Ano…" she said aloud to the empty clearing.

Fidgeting, she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot, occasionally lifting her head when she heard a something, each time hoping that it was Naruto coming to meet her. Starting to get visibly distressed, Hinata's eyes started to line with tears. "How could I be so stupid," she started, berating herself, "I knew it was too good to be true, Naruto-kun would never be interested in someone like me."

Seeing how much anguish, his absence was causing her and unwilling to cause her anymore distress, Naruto silently jumped to the ground behind the tree. Stepping out from the tree he walked up behind Hinata wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his body. So wrapped up in her own self destructive thoughts Hinata didn't hear Naruto coming up behind her, when she felt him wrap his arms around her she stiffened.

"I'm here Hinata." He breathed into her ear.

After hearing his voice Hinata relaxed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, she grabbed on his elbows, pulling him even closer, needing to feel the security of his arms.

"N-N-Naruto, I th-th-thought -" she stuttered.

Cutting her off mid-sentence Naruto spun her around in his arms, hushing her as his lips found hers. Still wrestling with his true feelings for her kissing wasn't even on his mind as he walked up to her, but as soon as he wrapped his arms around her a strong desire instantly flooded his body. When she started to stutter again, he knew that she was falling into her old habit of doubting herself, hating himself for causing her so much anxiety he did the only thing he could think of to show her that when it came to how she felt about him, and about how he was beginning to feel about her, she had no reason to doubt.

Placing his palms on her cheeks, Naruto used his thumbs to wipe the tears from Hinata's eyes. Tilting her head up slightly forcing her to look him in the eyes, he softly said, "Hinata, I'm sorry…. I'm sorry that I made you question yourself. I just… I just had to see for myself, I had to be certain that you liked me." Tears starting to well up in his own eyes, he continued, "Hinata, the last time a girl told me that she loved me, it was a trick to convince me to give up on my quest to bring back Sasuke."

His tears started to spill over as he recalled the day that Sakura came confessing her love, trying to stop him from chasing after Sasuke. Even now as his heart was quickly becoming Hinata's he could still feel a sharp pain in his heart when thought about how much Sakura broke his heart with her false proclamation of love.

Hinata stood in Naruto's arms frozen in shock. "He … he … he just kissed me!" She thought, shaking her head as Naruto's words sunk in, "He has never experienced anything but hatred and heart break. How does he do it? How does he continue to move on, and with a smile on his face?" She knew that the smile he displayed to everyone was a well practiced fake, but nonetheless it still made her heart ache to think about how much he has suffered not only at the hands of the villagers, but those of his friends as well.

Placing her palms on his whiskered cheeks, Hinata wiped away his tears. Looking up into those pains stricken eyes, she stood up on her toes and kissed him back, leaning into him while wrapping an arm around his neck to keep her balance. They both closed their eyes as the kiss lingered, each of them trying to erase the other's pain and enjoying the feel of each other's lips.

Hearts Racing, blood pulsing, and palms sweating, yes, this was the moment, which both Naruto and Hinata fully recognized their deep affection for each other.

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A/N: And there we have it :) I hope you continue to enjoy the story and please leave a review. In the next chapter our dynamic duo will continue to become closer and learn a new jutsu.


	6. Bonding

**DISCLAIMER : I don't own Naruto or any of the characters …. although if Kishimoto wanted to share I wouldn't mind ;)**

Hey guys sorry for taking a while to post a new chapter, my beta and I have been really busy lately. I hope you enjoy this one as much as you have the previous chapters :) Please leave a comment to let me know how you guys like my story so far.

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Chapter 6: Bonding

Lowering herself back on to her feet Hinata broke off the kiss. Slightly leaning back on her heels she looked up into his face. "Naruto I'm sorry that you were hurt so badly in the past, but I want to assure you that my feelings for you are real. I would never want you suffer like that again." She promised, locking her eyes onto his.

Dropping their hands from each other's face, Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and led her to the middle of the clearing. Sitting down, pulling her with him. Without hesitation or pause Naruto continued his descent until we was laying in a patch of soft, fresh grass. Looking into the vastness of the sky above he watched as giant fluffy, virginal white clouds, made their lazy way past them.

Still firmly grasping Hinata's hand, Naruto gently tugged at it, inviting her to lay down beside him. Following his lead Hinata slowly lowered herself down beside him, placing her head on his shoulder. Her insecurity all but vanishing as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"Hinata."

"Yes, Naruto"

"I tried to go see you last night, I don't sleep well anymore and I needed someone to talk to. But that damn Hiashi put a seal around the Hyuga estate!" He complained, noisily, his frustration evident.

Giggling a little at his frustration towards her father, knowing all too well how frustrating he could be. "My father is very protective of the Hyuga family, it's his duty as clan head."

Propping herself up on her elbow so that she could look at Naruto's face she said, "It does mean a lot to me though; that you would seek me out when you are feeling troubled. I am sorry that you couldn't get past the perimeter seal."

Turning his face away from the sky, he looks up at Hinata's face, seeing her concern for him etched into her eyes.

"I wanted to ask you something about the seal." Naruto offered, still unsure how to ask her about getting around the seal.

"Ok?" She answered, questioningly.

"My dad used a space time jutsu, it worked by marking a spot with a special seal, then when you perform the jutsu you are teleported to that spot. Would that work to bypass the perimeter seal your father has set up?" He asked, praying that she would say it would.

Settling back again on Naruto's shoulder she thought about his question for a minute. "I don't know if I can answer that, it's never been attempted before. I can't really ask my father about it without causing suspicion, forcing him to place more detection seals." She admitted, knowing it wasn't the answer Naruto was hoping to hear.

Naruto rolled over onto his side to face Hinata, moving so close to her that the tips of their noses were only millimeters away. Trying not to get lost in the depths of her beautiful lavender eyes, or intoxicating aroma, he asked the question that had been burning in his mind since Kurama suggested it the early hours of the morning.

"Hina," he started, trying out a pet name, "I met with Baa-chan this morning requesting the scrolls containing my dad's jutsu's. Amoung them is the space time jutsu I was just telling you about, named 'Hiraishin no Jutsu'."

Taking a deep and calming breath he abruptly blurted, "Hinata, would you like to learn the Hiraishin no Jutsu with me?"

Hinata lay there, her body still buzzing with excitement, she just couldn't believe all that was happening. His kiss turned her legs to jelly, if he wasn't holding on so tight she would have fell right over! Then before she knew it she was kissing him, sending her head into a dizzying spin; her body feeling lighter than air. Although she had always dreamed for the day that he would carry the same feelings, she just couldn't bring herself to believe that her dreams were becoming a reality. Years of being told she was nothing but a disappointment led to her inability to believe she was worthy.

She could feel her eyes starting to sting with tears again, everything was happening so fast she was having a hard time grasping on any single emotion. First she was feeling deserted and betrayed, filling her heart with despair, knowing that if she was to be rejected by Naruto she would be unable to cope with, or recover from, the emotional trauma. And then … then … then he was there in an instant, wrapping his arms around her, spinning her around and KISSING her. His lips, a little rough but soft, sent waves of pleasurable heat through her body, sweat started to roll down her back, her heart beating so hard she heard it in her ears. Although it only lasted a few seconds it felt like forever. When she felt their lips part her head dropped, her vacant eyes staring at Naruto's chest.

Thinking back she could feel her tears start to spill over as her thoughts raced over the last 60 minutes. Her head spinning from the whirlwind of emotions she broke eye contact with Naruto, slowly closing her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her ability to focus on any one thing leaving her body, she tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

Seeing Hinata's tears starting to form again Naruto began to worry that he hurt her feelings again. "Baka! Why did I have to make her feel bad again …. ARGH! That's not what I meant to do" berating himself for distressing Hinata again he pulled her into him, enveloping her, hoping to convey to her through his body that he didn't mean to make her cry again.

"I'm sor-" He began.

"YES!" She finally blurted out. "Yes" she repeated, softer this time.

Wiping away her own tears, Hinata opened her pupiless orbs, looking so deep into his eyes that she swore she could see the Kyuubi waving back to her. His eyes looked pained, his concern for her written all over his face.

She brought her hand up to his face, her thumb caressing his cheek. "Naruto, I would love to learn Hiraishin no Jutsu." she finally answered, a smile creeping across her face.

Naruto's expression softened, his eyes losing their hard edge. Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Thank you Hina." He whispered, his lips still gently brushing her forehead.

Hinata felt herself blush a little when Naruto used his new nickname for her again, things were starting to move fast, but despite her formal upbringing she was comfortable with how their relationship was progressing.

Letting go of his face, Hinata slid her arm across his chest and pulled herself closer to Naruto. After a lingering embrace Naruto rolled onto his back, using his right arm to hold Hinata close. They stayed like that, in a comfortable, peaceful silence, for quite some time, just enjoying each other's presence, before either of them spoke again.

When Naruto finally broke the silence he started telling Hinata about his recurring nightmares and how he hasn't been sleeping more than a few hours a night since the war ended. Hinata lay there and listened, occasionally giving him a reassuring squeeze when she felt he needed it. When his emotions would overwhelm him she would wipe away his salty tears, staying strong for the man even though hearing him retell his horrible nightmares tore at her own fragile emotions. By the time he was finished the sun was already sitting low in the sky, silence hanging over them once again.

Breaking the silence Hinata admitted, "Naruto, I haven't been sleeping well either ... I keep seeing Neji dive in between me and those spikes, then I see the blood pouring from him, but then I see the look of contentment on his face. He was finally free ... free from the caged bird seal. I can't help but be happy for him. He lived a tortured life because of that seal and when I become the head of the Hyuga clan I will abolish it forever!" Ending with conviction in her voice.

"That is my promise and I never go back on my word. That is my ninja way!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock at her statement, "Her ninja way ... it's ... it's ... it's the same as mine!" He thought, still clueless about how she got the idea in the first place.

Rolling over again to face her he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling, "Hinata!" Gripping her in a tight hug.

"N-N-Naruto, I can't breathe!" She squeaked in a small voice.

"Oh," he said feeling a little embarrassed as he released her from his tight hold, "sorry Hina, I just ... just ... You always make me feel better. You make me for feel acknowledged without the pressure of being 'The Hero'." He admitted truthfully, and with admiration.

Sitting up Hinata put her hands on the ground behind her for support as she leaned back and lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath she reminded him "Naruto, you have always been my hero. All the way back to our first days at the academy."

Following her lead, he sat up beside her, "Yeah but I didn't know it then." He giggled, shooting her a wink.

Leaning against his shoulder she couldn't help but agree.

"It's getting late again." Hinata sighed, wishing they didn't have to go back so soon.

"You have to go back now don't you?" He asked as much as he stated.

Looking at him, she replied with sadness in her voice. "I would stay here with you if I could, but my father-"

"I know. Go to your family, especially at a time like this when everyone is rebuilding, we should be with those that love us." He interrupted, sounding unusually insightful.

Hinata stood and brushed dried grass from her pants and turned to face Naruto. Placing her feet in front of his she knelt down to grab Naruto's hands. "Come on," she grunted as she pulled him up, "I'm not leaving you here this time."

"Its just about dinner time, how about we stop by Ichiraku's for some ramen? My treat." Hinata offered, knowing that he would never say no to ramen.

"YAAAAAAHOO! Ichiraku here I come!" Naruto exclaimed jumping up and pumping his fist in the air.

Hinata let go of one of Naruto's hands and put her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled at his antics whenever anyone mentioned ramen, knowing his love for the noodle soup she silently wondered if there was anything else he ate.

"Come on." Naruto cheered, pulling Hinata by the hand. Already drooling over the anticipated taste of the famous Ichiraku ramen.

Allowing herself to be dragged along, she followed Naruto through the woods. When the main thoroughfare that would lead them back to the village came in sight Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. Not expecting the sudden stop Hinata bumped into his back.

Rubbing her forehead Hinata let out a little yelp of pain, "Ow!"

Naruto turned to her and apologized for stopping so suddenly.

"Sorry I uh ... just wanted to thank you one more time before we got back to the village. So ... thank you Hinata for being here for me, thank you for not leaving yesterday when I told you to go, thank you for seeing me for the person that I am and not for the monster trapped inside me, and thank you for not expecting me to be a hero. But most of all ... thank you for still loving me, I just wish I was able to see it a long time ago."

He lowered his face down to hers placing a tender kiss on her lips. "If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have foolishly chased after Sakura so long."

Grabbing her hand again he lead her out of the forest, finally reaching the road that would take them home.

As they approached the village gates the sun was almost finished dipping below the horizon, the jounin on duty that day were just about to close the gate when they spotted two figures walking down the road, "Sorry no visitors after dar-" the Jounin on the left called out, before being interrupted.

"Oi! Not even if its 'The Hero of the Shinobi World'?" Naruto yelled back.

"Hehehe, I guess that title does come in handy from time to time." Naruto sniggered, looking over to Hinata.

Hinata playfully hit him in the arm, "Naruto, you shouldn't play with people like that!"

Naruto was still giggling as they passed through the gate; enjoying the priceless look on their faces.

"Hahaha, did you see their faces?!"

"Aaano, Naruto its because you are still holding my hand." Hinata pointed out, a pink hue returning to her cheeks.

Naruto looked down at their intertwined fingers. "He he, I guess I am."

Not yet ready to let her go he just shrugged his shoulders and continued to make his way to Ramen Ichiraku. Raising a few eyebrows as they made progress down the streets, the ramen shop being on the other side of the village. Unbeknownst to either of them they caught the eyes of more than one of the original Konoha 12.

"Konbanwa" Naruto called out to Teuchi and Ayame upon entering the ramen shop.

"Ahh, Naruto-kun I see you brought a friend this time." Teuchi remarked at seeing Hinata.

"This is Hinata-chan" Naruto introduced.

Bowing slightly to show his respect for the kunoichi, Teuchi humbly said "Welcome dear friend of our number one customer. Make yourself at home."

Taking their seats at the bar Hinata could help but wonder just how often Naruto ate here.

"Miso ramen with the works." Naruto said, placing his order.

"Umm, the diet ramen for me please." Hinata ordered for herself.

"Coming right up!" He said eagerly, turning away from the pair, already setting about making the two bowls of ramen.

"Hinata"

"Hmm"

"If you think that I am going to let you pay on our first date you are crazy."

Cheeks burning again Hinata looked at Naruto in shock. "D-D-Date?!"

"Yea, if you think about it this is our first date."

At this realization Hinata's heart started to pound in her chest. He was right, this was their first date. Despite their earlier kisses and open declarations of love, the thought of being on a date made her nervous and she began to fidget with her fingers. Noticing her sudden discomfort Naruto placed a warm, steady, hand on hers. "It's okay, we don't have to call it a date if you don't want too."

Hinata firmly shook her head and squared her shoulders, "No, it's a date. Our first date." She determinedly confirmed.

His body flooding in relief, Naruto let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. With impeccable timing Teuchi placed the two bowls of ramen in front of them.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto and Hinata said in unison, breaking apart their chopsticks.

Digging into his bowl of ramen in his usual ferocious manner Naruto brought up the subject of the Hiraishin no Jutsu. Between mouthfuls he said "Tomorrow morning I am going back to Baa-chan's office to see if Shizune found the scroll containing the jutsu."

"After that I want to visit Lee in the hospital, would you like to come with me to see Lee?" He asked.

"After we see him maybe we could go back to our little spot and start studying the jutsu." Naruto tagged on, planning their whole day and talking so fast that Hinata was barely able to get a word in edgewise.

"Wait, wait, wait, Father has me training every morning until lunch."

"That's ok, I probably won't be done talking to Baa-chan and Shizune until late morning anyway. I can wait until you are finished and meet you at the hospital."

"Ok, I will meet you at the hospital. I haven't had a chance to see Lee-kun since we all came home."

For the rest of their meal Naruto and Hinata chatted idly, talking about their friends and wondering how long it would be until things started to feel normal again.

In the time it took Hinata to finish her one bowl of ramen, Naruto was finishing his seventh. Their hunger sated Naruto paid the bill and stood to leave, offering his hand to Hinata.

A blush coming back to her cheeks Hinata took his offered hand and let him help her off her seat. "Baka! Stop blushing every time he touches you." She berated herself, but she was surprised that Naruto was being so open this early in their relationship; with the prying eyes of the villagers (and even worse fellow shinobi) everywhere, she knew that rumours were going to be flying around a lot sooner than she was prepared for.

As they stepped out of the ramen shop Naruto looked up at the sky, the emotional changes in his life having taken their toll on the young Shinobi. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he started off toward Hinata's home. They walked under the light of the street lamps; the hustle and bustle of the market and shops quiet as the last few shoppers of the day sought out the best deals.

"I am going to walk you home Hinata, the streets are dangerous at night." Naruto declared, clearly being protective.

"Naruto, ummm, what if someone sees you holding my hand?"

Naruto looked down at their joined hands, "Then they'll see a man walking his date home." He flatly pointed out.

Hinata's cheeks turned a light shade of pink when he called her his date again. She didn't know if she would ever get accustomed to being called his date.

Looking at Hinata from the corner of his eye Naruto joked, "You know Hinata if you don't stop blushing I am going to have Baa-chan examine you for some sort of medical condition."

Hinata's eyes widened in panic and her cheeks flushed to an even deeper shade of pink as more blood rushed to her face. She planted her feet, stopping him where she stood. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Ahaha, Hina of course I wouldn't. But you get worked up so easy … I couldn't resist."

Hinata's jaw dropped at Naruto's confession. As what he just said sunk in her eyebrows knit together; her panic quickly turning to annoyance. "You're mean!" She pouted, removing her hand from his to cross her arms across her chest.

"Awww come on Hinata I was only playing around." He said nervously, now worried that he offended her, making her angry with him mere hours into their relationship.

As soon as Hinata let go of his hand Naruto could feel the cold grip of desperation take over his body, he needed her hand, he needed to feel connected.

Having a little fun of her own Hinata stood there and watched as Naruto's face went from happy and playful to desperate and pleading as his emotions ran across his features.

Taking pity on him Hinata started to giggle, "I guess I'm not the only one who gets worked up so easily."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as what just happened sunk into his head. "She … she …. she played me!" He didn't think this shy woman had it in her to be so devious.

"Haha, you got me Hinata. Shall we get going?" He asked, offering her his hand again.

Hinata uncrossed her arms and took his hand, walking by his side through the streets until they arrived at the Hyuga household.

Naruto let go of her hand as they came to a stop before the Hyuga estate, the gates already shut and the perimeter seal already activated.

"Goodnight Hina, thank you for hanging out with me today, I didn't know how much I needed human contact until you opened my eyes to it … aaaand ending it with a date was the cherry on top"

"Goodnight Naruto. For you I will always be there."

Hinata slowly rose to her toes and lifted Naruto's forehead protector. Looking into his questioning eyes she tilted her chin up and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "And I enjoyed our date too, thank you for walking me home."

"Goodnight Naru." she whispered, using her own pet name for the first time before turning away to make the hand seal used in opening the gate.

Naruto watched as she quietly slipped through the gate, quietly closing it. His shoulders slumping as soon as Hinata turned away from him to slip through the gate; he dreaded going back to his lonely apartment. Naruto turned to start his slow walk home, kicking at loose stones along the way.

Hinata watched as the hunched figure made his way down the street, a small ache forming in her chest. "It just isn't fair that the man who saved us all has to suffer alone. Everyone else has someone waiting for them at home and all he has to return to is an empty one room apartment."

She knew that he wasn't going to get much sleep that night, remembering the horrific visions he described to her that afternoon. Hinata wished that there was something that she could do to help him.

Back at his apartment Naruto lay on his bed thinking about the events of the last few days. Just two days ago he felt abandoned and alone but now he felt his heart race at the thought of Hinata. It amazed him how one person could make such a difference in your life.

He touched his lips with two fingers as he remembered what her lips felt like when he kissed her, and how once he started he didn't want to stop. He could still feel her body against his, her head resting on his shoulder. Her scent lingering on his clothes filled his nostrils as he took in a deep breath. He knew what was waiting for him as soon as he closed his eyes so he spent his last wakeful moments remembering every detail about Hinata, the way her hips moved as she walked, the way her silken, raven coloured hair swayed across her back, how soft her skin was under his touch, before the nightmares took over.

* * *

He had just finished spreading the Kyuubi's chakra to the unified shinobi force, protecting them from Madara's attacks when Kakashi popped out of Obito's dimensional jutsu. His body was a bloody mess, the visible half of his face now had a large gash, his muscles were torn and large flaps of flesh hung loosely from his legs. Unable to support his own weight Kakashi fell to his knees, holding an upright position for a few seconds before falling over, flat on his face. Naruto watched, stunned into paralysis, as Obito appeared and delivered the finishing blow.

* * *

Naruto awoke screaming Kakashi's name, his legs tangled in the bed sheets and drenched in a cold sweat.

He lay there willing his heart to slow down and trying to regain control over his breathing. Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes, down the side of his face as the vision of Kakashi's torn body swam across his vision. This was the worst one of all his recurring nightmares, to see his sensi ripped up and dying before his eyes.

Naruto pounded his fists into the mattress on each side of him, screaming again. Trying to vent his emotions, unsuccessfully. Throwing off the bed sheets he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, when he heard a light knock at his door.

Confused he sat there asking himself if was just hearing things when he heard it again, slightly louder this time.

Getting up he shuffled over to the door, curiosity pushing the visions of Kakashi away for the moment. Sliding open the lock, he opened the door to find Hinata standing there, her hands behind her back and looking very nervous.

"H-H-Hinata! What are you doing here?"

Looking at her toes she answered him in a quiet, timid voice, "Naruto-kun, I-I-I couldn't sleep. After watching you walk home, you were all I could think about. You looked so alone and I couldn't bare to think of you here ... alone. I have been tossing and turning all ni-"

Naruto cut her off by pulling her into his apartment, and his arms.

He buried his face in the hair that pooled at the nape of her neck, "Thank you Hinata" he whispered, thankful for this woman that knew him so well.

* * *

Thank you once again to NaruHina108 for taking the time to beta read this for me, and thank you for reading and continuing to follow my story.


	7. Visitor in the Night

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

A/N: First let me apologize for taking this long to post an update, I struggled through parts of this chapter, trying to get them just right. This is the longest chapter yet and I still didn't get to where I hoped to at the end of chapter 6! I am posting this only partially beta'd, I haven't been getting a response from her the past few days so I am assuming that she's too busy with school and life and I really want to put the chapter up :) So if there are any glaring errors be kind, I do re-read my work but I still miss things.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the new chapter, without further ado …

* * *

Chapter 7 : Visitor in the Night

Hinata's nervousness vanished when Naruto pulled her into his arms, hearing the pain in his voice she knew that she made the right decision in going to his apartment. The look of tension, followed by relief, as he saw who was knocking on his door so late into the night washed over his face.

She could feel his tense muscles start to go slack as she lovingly cupped his head with one hand while gently rubbed his back with the other.

"Is everything alright Naruto? I heard you screaming when I was coming up the stairs." Hinata asked, her voice heavy with concern.

"Everything is okay Hinata ... Now that you are here." He answered, his voice still shaking from his nightmare.

Hinata let go of Naruto and lead him by the hand to the simple low table that functioned as served as his only piece of dining room furniture. Placing her hands on his shoulders she motioned for him to sit, leaving him to settle at the table she removed her bulky sweater, hanging it on the hook by his door. She then walked over to the corner of the room that he called his "kitchen" and turned on the kettle to make some tea.

Having turned the water on for tea she walked over to join Naruto at the table. Even in the dim moonlight coming in through the large window she could see that he was crying before she knocked on the door. Although it caused an ache in her chest to see Naruto suffering the emotional fallout of losing so many precious people, she had already silently swore to support and help him.

While the kettle was coming to a boil Naruto and Hinata sat in a uncomfortable, deafening, silence. Startled out of her thoughts by the whistle of the kettle, Hinata jumped up and went back to his kitchen to make the tea.

Lost in the thoughts that were racing through his head Naruto didn't hear the kettle whistling or Hinata searching through his cabinets for tea. _"I can't believe she came here! Did she say that she heard me screaming? Holy crap! It's a good thing the clones and I cleaned this dump this morning!"_

Having found the tea ... and the teapot, Hinata measured out some tea leaves into the teapot and poured the hot water over them. After a little more digging around she found the tea cups and a serving tray to carry everything back to the table.

Sitting down at the table again Hinata poured each of them a cup of tea.

Hinata wrapped her hands around her cup, her hands absorbing the warmth of the tea, she broke the silence. "Do you want to take about it?"

Naruto turned his head away, trying to hide his emotions from Hinata … and failing. He closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Finding his calm again he turned back to Hinata.

Flashing her the smile he always used when he was trying to mask his true feelings, he said, "I-I'll be okay Hinata, don't worry about it." His breath hitching as his emotions tried to take over again.

Not fooled by his fake smile for one second Hinata played with her cup, staring at the tea as ripples played across it's surface. She didn't know what to say to him that would make him feel better, more than anything she wished that she could make his nightmares disappear.

"Hina," he whispered, "don't look so sad. I know that you want to make my nightmares go away, and I am thankful for that, but I can't talk about them. You were there and you saw how they died ... I just miss them so much ..."

Naruto grabbed at his chest as a pang shot through, causing tears of longing and frustration to sting his eyes. Unashamed to show Hinata how much he missed his sensei, Naruto let his tears spill over and run down his cheeks, falling from his chin onto his lap.

Without a moment of hesitation Hinata flew over to Naruto flinging her arms around his broad shoulders, bumping into the table causing the tea in the cups to slosh over the lip, pooling around the base. She pulled him closer to her, his head coming to rest against her ample chest. Hinata understood why he wouldn't want to talk about his nightmares, she was there when they all died, instead she would be there to comfort him when he needed someone to protect him from his personal demons.

Naruto sat sobbing against Hinata's chest until he was finally able to regain control of his emotions, while Hinata whispered soothing and encouraging words.

"Hina, just having you here is all I need." He mumbled, the subtle vibrations from his deep voice sending a shiver down Hinata's spine.

Hinata's eyes widened as the vibrations from his voice sent a wave of pleasure through her body; goosebumps now covering her flesh. She sat back on her heels releasing Naruto from her hold, cupping his face in her hands she forced him to look at her. "I told you before that I will always be here for you." She stated, her voice firm.

"I know, I remember you saying that. But Hinata … everyone that has told me that they were going to be there for me has never actually been there for me when what I needed had nothing to do with training to become stronger. That is all it has ever been for me, Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei, the Third, Iruka-sensei … I love them all and I miss them … and I know that they loved me too … but when it came time to call it a night they all went home and I had to come back here. Alone." Naruto said, spreading his arms out to indicate the small apartment.

Naruto's head shot up as he remembered something that Hinata told him at dinner. "Wait! Are you sure it's okay for you to be here right now, it's really late and you said that you have training with your father every morning until lunch."

A sheepish grin played across Hinata's face when she thought about her father's reaction when he found the note she left behind. She left her note pretty vague, but she didn't think that he would be too upset. Lady Tsunade gave everyone leave from most duties, so most of the Leaf shinobi were enjoying some well deserved time off.

"Oh, Naruto. It's so typical of you to worry about someone else when you should be worrying about yourself. It's okay, I left a note for Father before I left, I told him that I am taking a break from training for the next few days." She said answering his question.

Before Naruto could raise any argument she placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "Besides, it's not like I won't be training at all, we have a new technique to learn remember." The stubborn look on her face and the determination in her voice leaving no room for argument.

Seeing the determination in her beautiful lavender eyes he gave up on any arguments he might have had. He didn't really want to argue with her anyway, he was looking forward to spending more time with her and if he didn't have to wait until after her morning training sessions with her father the better.

Hinata moved back to her previously vacated spot and took a sip of her tea, setting down her cup she stifled a yawn. She wasn't lying to Naruto when she said that she couldn't sleep tonight and after a long emotional day exhaustion was catching up to her, and the herbal tea was only making her sleepier.

Her head growing heavy, Hinata rested her chin in her hand and placed her elbow on the table for support. Her eyelids growing heavy, she began to fall asleep, feeling herself falling Hinata caught herself before faceplanting the table. Feeling embarrassed she stole a quick glance at Naruto to see if he noticed that she was falling asleep. Still lost in his own thoughts, Naruto was completely unaware of Hinata's struggle to stay awake.

To prevent any possible embarrassment, Hinata chose to cross her arms on the table to lay her head down to rest, falling asleep almost as soon as her head touched her arms.

Coming out of his thoughts Naruto was going to ask her if she wanted to go to Tsunade's office with him later to check on the status of the Fourth's scroll."Hey Hina …" Naruto quietly started to ask. Seeing her fast asleep at the table he decided that it was a question best left until morning.

Naruto reached over and gently brushed Hinata's hair from her face, gently caressing her exposed cheek. _"Aaaah, she's so cute when she is sleeping."_ He thought, gazing at her serene face. _"She looks so peaceful."_

Using the table as leverage, Naruto pushed himself up to stand. Stretching the kinks out of his tired body, he walked the few steps to stand behind Hinata. Kneeling down he slipped his arm under Hinata's knees, while sliding the other across her back and under her arm, easily picking her up.

Leaving the tea where it was, Naruto carried her over to his bed, using his foot to brush the blanket out of the way before gently laying her down. After he set her down in the bed, Naruto straightened the blanket and pulled it up over Hinata and tucked her in, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and thought to himself, _"Hehe, the first time I have a girl in my bed and she's dead asleep."_

Lowering himself to the floor, Naruto sat beside his bed and watched Hinata sleep while he let his thoughts wander, already replanning what they would do the following day. It wasn't long before Hinata began thrashing in her sleep, her own nightmares tormenting her.

Worried Naruto placed a warm hand on her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone, as a father might do to his child. It seemed to calm her a little but a tightness remained around her eyes as unseen images flashed beneath her eyelids. He could only guess all too well what she was probably seeing.

Trying his best to comfort her, Naruto slid into the bed beside Hinata. Laying on his side so that he was facing her, he carefully slid one arm under Hinata's shoulders and guided her as he slowly rolled to his back, so that her head came to rest on his shoulder. The last thing he remembered was the small sigh the escaped Hinata's lips before he felt the tension leave her body.

The bright morning sun was shining through the window straight into Naruto's eyes, waking him up. Stretching his arms above his head and letting out a big yawn Naruto froze, _"Sleep …. wa-was I just sleeping? I don't remember going back to sleep after last night's nightmare."_ He thought to himself. Slowly the events from last night returned to his memory, Hinata knocking at his door, tea, crying, the softness of her chest, carrying her to his bed after she fell asleep, and finally slipping into bed next to her because she was having a nightmare.

It all made sense now, slowly rotating his head, he looked over at Hinata. Who was just beginning to wake up.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Naruto couldn't believe that for the for the first time since the end of the war he slept without being plagued by nightmares. He almost forgot what it felt like to wake up to the sunlight coming through his window.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Hinata yawned, momentarily forgetting that she went to Naruto's during the night.

As the room came into focus Hinata froze mid stretch. Feeling a presence beside her she slowly rolled her eyes to find Naruto's nervous face looking down at her.

"Good morning Hinata." He said, his face flushing, but giving a warm smile.

Her heart racing, she asked. "N-N-Naruto w-what am I doing in your bed?"

Naruto slid himself up so that his back was resting against the headboard of his bed, drawing his knees up to rest his elbows on he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands.

"I'm sorry Hinata, I didn't intend to share the same bed as you. You were ..."

Naruto had never felt so awkward in his life, or had such a hard time explaining anything to someone else.

"Hi-Hinata, I-I'm sorry. I wasn't … it wasn't my intention … I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by falling asleep next to you. You started to have a nightmare, and I couldn't sit there and do nothing but watch, so I -" He stammered, trying to explain to her that he only climbed in bed with her out of concern.

Hinata sat up rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, and twisted to face Naruto, the blankets sliding from her shoulders as she rose. "It's okay Naruto, I am sorry that I fell asleep on you. I came here to try and help you through the night but I guess I was just so tired that I fell asleep." she said, interrupting him.

She leaned a little closer to him and put her palm on his cheek before continuing, "Naru, I haven't slept that good for a long, long time. I remember having the nightmare, but then a warm light washed over the scene and it seemed to pause. Before I knew it the horror movie that was my dream vanished, replaced by a feeling of warmth … like a warm spring day after a long cold winter."

Biting her lower lip nervously, Hinata rose to her knees keeping her palm against his whiskered cheek, and slowly leaned toward Naruto. Heart racing, palms sweating she placed her other hand against the wall on the other side of Naruto's head. Taking a chance she lowered her face closer to his, finding his lips she closed her eyes and passionately kissed him. "You saved me again Naru." She whispered.

Before Hinata could pull away from him completely Naruto slipped his hand around the back of Hinata's head, weaving his fingers in the silky softness of her raven locks, pulling her head to his so that they foreheads were touching. "Hina, it's you who has saved me, and not for the first time either." He whispered back.

Naruto leaned into Hinata, he pressed his lips into hers, his hand still entwined in her hair, he shifted his body so that he could guide her down on his bed. Naruto continued leaning into Hinata, trailing kisses across her cheek and down her neck to the hollow around her collarbone, hovering over her now he gently nibbled at the base of her neck causing a moan of pleasure to escape her lips.

**"Hey kid, are you going to mate with this beauty?"** Kurama interjected.

**"W-w-w-what! SHUT UP FUZZBALL!"** Naruto responded to the Nine-Tails, his eyes snapping open. The whole scene came crashing down over Naruto as he realized that they were in his bed, Hinata's breasts were rubbing up against his chest, sending pleasure to cascade throughout his body. He could feel his fingers and toes tingling with excitement, more alarming was the tingling he was starting to feel below his waist.

Hovering over her, Naruto abruptly broke off their kissing session and gently but firmly, pushed Hinata away. "I-I-I need a shower!" He proclaimed, jumping up and bolting from the bed.

"Stay here I'll be back in a few minutes." He called over his shoulder as he rushed towards the bathroom.

**"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** The demon fox roared inside Naruto's head.

**"Damn you Kurama! What the hell?! I was enjoying that!"** Naruto chastised.

Kurama ignored the indignant boy, fully enjoying the panic he was causing for Naruto.

Hinata sat up on the bed in shocked confusion, "D-did I do something wrong?" she asked to the empty room, her insecurity showing through again.

She flung herself back on the bed, waiting for her heartbeat and breathing to return back to normal, coming to the realization that she was in need of a cold shower as well.

Hair still dripping from his quick shower, Naruto left the bathroom to find Hinata clearing off the table from the night before. Draping his towel around his neck he leaned against the door frame and watched her for a moment, amazed at how graceful she was even when she was cleaning.

Feeling his eyes on her, Hinata looked up and saw Naruto leaning against the frame, a tender loving smile playing across his features. For the first time she could remember Naruto looked relaxed and content.

Naruto snapped out of his daze when he noticed that Hinata stopped cleaning and was looking at him. His face flushing a bright red, he let out a nervous chuckle and started scratching at the back of his head. "Hahaha … Umm … I'm sorry for what happened over there," he said, nodding his head towards the bed, "I uhh … umm I-"

Colour rushing to her own face Hinata broke off his stammering, "Ano, I-I should be the one apologizing to you. I'm sorry Naru, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable … I-I'm sorry that I made you run away."

Naruto rushed over to Hinata and placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arms length he said, "Hina, I didn't run to the shower because of you. That damn fox couldn't keep his mouth shut!"

Naruto kissed the top of Hinata's head and pulled her in for a quick hug before helping to clear away the dishes. Bending down to pick up the serving tray laden with the dirty dishes he changed the subject and asked her, "So, last night I was thinking about what we could do today. I know that you already agreed to come visit Lee with me, but I was thinking that since you aren't going to be training with your dad that we could visit him this morning. Then we could go see Baa-chan about the jutsu scroll I asked for. What do you think?"

Hinata, who was now standing over by the sink getting a cloth to clean up the tea she spilled last night, thought for a moment before answering. "That sounds good Naruto, that should give us a lot of extra time to read the scroll and memorize the seals."

"But, uhhh, do you think we could eat some breakfast first? Do you have anything to eat here?" She asked, looking at the near bare shelves.

Naruto set the serving tray down and turned around to lean against the counter, stroking his chin he thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time he went to the market.

"I have instant ramen." He offered.

Hinata smacked her forehead, she couldn't believe her ears, _"Ramen? Ramen!"_ She screamed in her head.

Grabbing him by the wrist she lead him to the door, "Naruto let's go out for breakfast, I can't eat ramen for a morning meal."

"What's wrong with ramen? It's delicious." Naruto protested.

Hinata leveled a glare at him, "There is no way I am eating ramen for breakfast."

Naruto held the door open for Hinata as they left the small restaurant, "Umm Naruto, before we go to the hospital I need to stop by my house for a change of clothes."

"Ok Hina, I'll walk you home and wait for you around the corner from the gate."

Arriving at the Hyuga estate, Naruto watched Hinata slip through the gate and head inside to quickly get changed before going to visit Lee. After she disappeared into the house Naruto made his way around the corner and leaned his butt against the wall, bending his right leg to place his foot on the wall for support. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky thinking about all his past encounters with Hinata, _"Baka, how could I have missed all the signs? I could have avoided a lot of heartbreak if I wasn't so stupid and blind. She even spelled it out to me in front of Pain, but I thought she was talking about the Will of Fire and her love for all her comrades."_

While Naruto was busy berating himself a slender figure silently leaned against the wall beside him, mimicking his posture. When Naruto sighed and dropped his head down to his chest his visitor spoke.

"I see that you're getting friendly with Hinata. I made a promise to someone that cared a great deal about her a long time ago, it was a promise to watch out for her, to make sure no one hurt her ... in any way. You're not going to break her heart are you?"

Startled, Naruto jumped away from the wall and readied himself in a defensive taijutsu stance.

When he saw who the speaker was, Naruto fell flat on his face before quickly hopping back up and pointing a finger.

"WHAT THE HELL TENTEN! YOU SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH!" Naruto screamed.

"I saw you two come into the village last night, holding hands, looking very chummy. I watched the two of you eat at Ichiraku's and I followed you when you walked her home. She watched you as you walked away, and stayed there for a long time after you disappeared around the corner. She really loves you Naruto, if you break her heart I will make sure that you will regret it for the rest of your life. I promised Neji before we were deployed, if anything were to happen to him that I would take over in protecting her." Tenten said, her voice filling with emotion when she thought about Neji, the man that she was supposed to marry after the war.

Naruto could only stare at Tenten as he watched her wipe away the tears that were threatening to spill over, he had no idea of the relationship between Neji and Tenten but it was obvious to him that over the years the two became very close.

"I promise you that I will never hurt Hinata. It took me a long time to see it but she is the most beautiful girl in the village. She is the only one that has never saw me for the demon that was sealed away inside me, she was the only one to try protect me in battle, she doesn't see me as the "Hero of the Shinobi World", she see's me as Uzumaki Naruto, the boy who had to endure years of hatred without knowing why, the boy who despite that promised to protect everyone. Yet she sees past all that and STILL loves me, she is rescuing me from myself … I can feel it in here." Naruto said, placing his right hand over his heart.

"Tenten, I have only come to admit this to myself … b-but I love Hinata too and if I'm going to be totally honest with myself I think I have for a long time, I just didn't want to admit it back then. Too many times my emotions were toyed with and those precious to me were used to try and hurt me. Hinata is strong but she is also gentle and pure, I didn't want to be the reason someone would try to hurt her to get to me."

Tenten threw her arms around Naruto, "Thank you Naruto, you do deserve Hinata. She is truly something special."

"... Oh and watch out for Kiba and Shino, I think they saw you guys last night too. I'm pretty sure I overheard Kiba ranting at the bar last night … something like 'I don't care if he's the damn saviour of the united shinobi force I'm going to kick his ass!' ... or something along those lines. He sounded pretty drunk." She warned him.

"Thanks Tenten, I'll keep an eye out for Kiba." He replied, returning her friendly hug.

Hiding just around the corner Hinata heard everything. She was just about to turn the corner when she heard a soft feminine voice start talking to Naruto, worried that someone was trying to make their move on Konoha's no. 1 bachelor she quickly took a step back and flattened herself against the fence, listening to the conversation. Hinata let out a sigh of relief when she realized that it was Tenten that came to talk to Naruto.

She knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation, but she couldn't help herself. Hinata felt her cheeks warm up when Tenten told Naruto that they were seen last night holding hands and sharing a meal, she felt tears sting her eyes when Tenten spoke of Neji nii-san. When she heard Naruto promise Tenten that he would never hurt her and hear him speak so highly of her, her eyes glazed over in shock. She knew that Naruto always believed in her, but to hear him say it to someone else ….

Hinata almost missed what Naruto said next, her brain threatening to shut down. But she did, _"H-h-he said that he loved me."_ She thought, her knees giving way she slid down the fence until she was sitting on the ground. _"I love Hinata too … love Hinata … love … Hinata …"_

Naruto's words kept repeating in Hinata's mind, chasing themselves until she heard nothing else. She missed Tenten's warning about Kiba and Shino, she didn't notice when Naruto and Tenten were finished talking, so when Tenten came around the corner Hinata jumped in surprise when she sensed someone standing close by.

Snapping out of her daze Hinata slowly looked up to see who was standing before her; afraid that it was Naruto. Her eyes falling on Tenten she smiled weakly, embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping.

Tenten just looked down at Hinata and warmly smiled, happy that Hinata finally got her wish. Throwing a wink down to the pale eyed girl, Tenten continued walking down the street thinking about what could have been if Neji was still alive.

Lee was sitting up in his bed staring out the window when he saw two familiar figures walking up steps leading to the main entrance of the hospital. Sakura was with him again, trying to cheer him up while also checking on his healing progress and vitals. So when he saw the two figures the way they were walking didn't immediately register, the taller of the two had his arm protectively draped across the shorter ones shoulders, and the shorter of the two was holding the dangling hand and had her arm wrapped around his waist, both of them chatting and laughing.

"S-Sakura-chan, LOOK!" Lee exclaimed, his arm shaking as he pointed out the window.

Sakura fell silent at Lee's sudden outburst. She snapped her head to look at Lee, concerned about the sudden change in his voice, his expression was now one of shock.

Following Lee's line of focus Sakura stood and walked over to the window to see what he was looking at that had him in such a state, when she saw them her jaw dropped open. Sakura's eyes widened for a moment before she fell forward, her forehead crashing into the window.

_"Naruto and Hinata? He's touching her and she's still conscious! She isn't even blushing!"_ Sakura's thoughts were racing through her head. She wasn't upset about seeing Naruto move past his crush on her, she was happy that it was finally happening.

Sakura turned around to face Lee, leaning her back against the window. "Lee-kun, now we don't have to worry about hurting Naruto's feelings if we tell people about us."

"YOSH! You are right Sakura-chan, I have been so worried about Naruto. I think he has suffered the most since the end of the war."

"I know what you mean Lee-kun, he hasn't been staying in the village during the day, always leaving early in the morning and not coming back until after dark. I wanted to help him but I just didn't know how … but it looks like Hinata has found a way."

As they approached the hospital Naruto draped his arm over Hinata's shoulders. To his surprise Hinata didn't flinch or stiffen briefly when he touched her this time, instead she laced her fingers into his and wrapped her free arm around his waist. He looked slyly down at Hinata and said, "Ohh, not even a little blush this time? I'm wounded."

Hinata looked up to Naruto and replied, "Sorry Naru, I don't want any forced check-up's with Tsunade-sama."

Naruto raised his eyebrows at Hinata's retort and then started laughing, "Ouch Hina, your tongue wasn't this sharp earlier this morning!"

Hinata's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed briefly when Naruto made reference to their activities earlier that morning. Her embarrassment passed quickly and soon she was laughing with Naruto. "Naru, you're just beginning to learn how sharp this tongue can be!" She stated, throwing a wink at him.

This time it was Naruto's turn to briefly blush, caught off guard by Hinata's uncharacteristic behaviour.

Naruto and Hinata passed through the automatic doors of the main entrance and immediately headed to the stairs that would lead them to the floor that Lee was on, reaching the third floor landing they walked the short distance to Lee's room. Naruto knocked on the door, louder this time, making sure that he wouldn't be interrupting any private moments like he almost did last time.

"Come in Naruto-kun." Lee called.

Naruto looked over at Hinata, his eyebrow raised. "I guess he saw us coming in."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto slid open the door to Lee's room stepping back to let Hinata enter first. Following closely behind her, Naruto turned his back to the room to close the door. Not realizing that Hinata stood frozen behind him, he bumped into her back when he turned around.

Hinata stood frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open. There before her was Lee sitting in his bed, and right beside him Sakura was sitting half on and half off facing Lee, tenderly holding his hand.

Not surprised by the scene at all, Naruto took a half step back from Hinata, sliding a hand in his pocket and raising the other to give a small wave to the couple.

"Good morning Lee, good morning Sakura." Naruto greeted.

Naruto dropped his hand on Hinata's shoulder, stepping up beside her. He looked down to see that she was still frozen, staring at Lee and Sakura.

_"Hmm, looks like it's my turn to shock them. I hope Hina doesn't get mad at me for this."_ Naruto thought to himself.

Taking his free hand out of his pocket Naruto gently grabbed Hinata's chin, turning her face to him, leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. "Hina, are you going to come in with me?"

"N-N-Naruto …" Hinata stammered, shooting a look at Lee and Sakura.

"Welcome back Hinata, I thought we lost you for a second there." He said, totally ignoring Hinata's glancing looks towards the two sitting on the bed.

His hand still on Hinata's shoulder, Naruto guided her further into the room; pulling out the lone chair, gesturing to her to take a seat.

Meanwhile Sakura and Lee sat there, not believing their eyes. Sakura felt her cheeks grow hot when, as if in slow motion, Naruto grasped Hinata's chin and kissed her. Slightly jealous because Lee had yet to try and kiss her, Sakura dropped her gaze to her knees.

Lee couldn't take his eyes off the pair. He stared, his mouth hanging agape, his eyes following Naruto's every movement. _"B-bold Naruto-kun. I've been secretly seeing Sakura-chan for a week and I still haven't had the courage to do that."_ He thought.

After making sure Hinata was comfortable, Naruto turned to the pair on the bed. "So Lee, how's your recovery coming along?"

Lee shook his head, coming back to his senses. "YOSH! Sakura-chan tells me that I can go home in a couple of days. The Power of Youth flows through me!"

Naruto crossed his arm and raised an eyebrow, "Sakura … chan?"

Lee sat up a bit straighter, his face turning beet red before he dropped his gaze down to his lap. Caught up in his excitement about going home soon Lee let slip the affectionate honorific 'chan' when he referenced Sakura.

"Umm … Naruto, Lee and I have something that we would like to share with you." Sakura said, placing her free hand over the hand she was holding; sandwiching Lee's hand in between hers.

Naruto raised his hand to stop Sakura, "Sakura it's ok, I already know. I … uhh … accidently saw you and Lee embracing each other yesterday when I tried to visit Lee. You guys didn't hear me knock, I didn't expect anyone to be with him so I opened the door."

Scratching at the back of his head nervously Naruto closed his eyes and waited for one of Sakura's famous punches. When no punch came he slowly opened one eye, Sakura was still sitting on the bed beside Lee. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto giggled. "Hehehe, I guess I have something that I want to share with you. I'm sure that you have already figured it out but Hinata and I are kinda dating now too."

"Hai, that … uhh … kiss kind of erased any doubt." Sakura confirmed.

"Hey Hinata-chan, lets go and leave these boys to talk."

Still overwhelmed, Hinata stammered out, "O-ok Sakura-chan"

Sakura got up and walked around the end of Lee's bed, grabbed Hinata by the hand and lead/dragged her out of the room. "We'll see you guys in a little bit." She called over her shoulder.

Lee and Naruto watched as the girls left, when they heard the door click closed Naruto turned to Lee. "So Bushy-Brow how are you holding up?"

"Physically I am healing fast, Sakura-chan has been a big help with that. Always making sure that I don't overexert myself and using healing jutsu's to encourage cell regeneration."

"That is great to hear Lee!" Naruto said, honestly happy for him. "But how are you doing otherwise?"

Lee stared at his blanket for a long while before answering Naruto. With tears lining his eyes Lee answered, "I am still having great difficulty with this hole in my heart that Guy-sensei left. Most night's I don't sleep, and when I do the nightmares wake me."

Naruto sighed, "Me too Lee, me too."

"But you have Sakura now, it's only been a couple of days but Hinata has been so much help. I've been a living ghost since returning to village, drifting through each day. Last night she came to my apartment, it felt so much better to have someone to talk too."

"Yeah, Sakura spends a lot of her time in here with me. I worry that she is neglecting her duties at the hospital, but she tells me not to worry about it, that she is getting all her work done. I do feel a lot better when she is here, but the nightmares are slowly tearing me apart. Guy-sensei was more than just a sensei to me, he was like a father."

Naruto smiled slyly, "Lee if I told you what helped keep my nightmares at bay would you promise not to tell Sakura? It might help you too."

Lee whipped his head up and looked sharply at Naruto, "I promise! I won't tell Sakura-chan anything."

With a little chuckle Naruto leaned in closer to Lee, "Last night Hinata stayed at my place, we ended up sharing my bed and when I held her in my arms I fell asleep and didn't wake up until the sun was in my eyes." He said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Lee gasped in surprise, "N-N-Naruto-kun I couldn't ask her that!" A look of absolute shock washed over his face. "You and Hinata didn't … didn't … di-"

"What!" Naruto waved his hands in front of his face, "No, no, no. She fell asleep at the table and I carried her to my bed, I climbed in when she started having a bad dream. I must have fallen asleep after she calmed down."

"I don't know Naruto."

"Well, it won't hurt to ask, I bet that she isn't sleeping very well either."

"You might be right, but that is a big step for our relationship. We've only been dating for a couple of weeks."

Naruto laughed, "Hahaha ... Lee, Hinata and I have only been dating for roughly 18 hours! Although I understand that she has had her eye on me a lot longer than that. But with her it just feels right, like this is how things are meant to be. You know what I mean?"

Lee chuckled, "You've got that right! Hinata-chan has been following you for as long as I can remember." Lee let out a small sigh, "Although it might be worth talking to Sakura-chan about spending our nights together, I have the same feeling with Sakura that you have with Hinata." Wistfully looking out the window, he added "It just feels right."

Both men turned to the door when they heard it start to slid open. They watched as the girls re-entered the room, both of them avoiding eye contact with their partners, their cheeks flushed.

Naruto briefly turned back to Lee, shooting him a wink, before striding over to Hinata.

Draping his arm across her shoulders again, Naruto said. "Come on Hina, I think it's about time we went to see if Baa-chan has what I asked for."

"Come in." Tsunade called when she heard a knock at her door.

"Baa-chan, did Shizune find the scroll?" Naruto bellowed as he was opening the door.

Tsunade place her pen down on the mission report she was just reading and leaned back in her chair, "Oh, so we are using the door now?"

"Hahahaha, well someone wouldn't let me use my usual entrance." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

Leaning forward Tsunade crossed her arms the desk, glaring at the young man.

"Good morning Lady Tsunade." Hinata said, stepping out from behind Naruto.

Tsunade sat in stunned silence, staring at the young couple. While it was no village secret that Hinata harboured feelings for Naruto, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to finally open his eyes to her affections.

"So Baa-chan, the scroll?"

Looking at Hinata, Tsunade now understood why learning the Hiraishin was so important to Naruto. It was the same reason Minato developed it, contrary to what most shinobi thought Minato didn't create Hiraishin no Jutsu to use in battle; although it did prove pivotal in many battles.

When Minato fell in love with Kushina he wanted a way to protect her, no matter how far away he was. Not many knew this, but the clip Kushina wore in her hair was given to her as a gift from Minato, on the underside was the special seal that would allow him to instantaneously transport to her if she was ever in trouble. All she had to do was place a finger on the clip to let her chakra flow into it, notifying Minato that she needed him.

Naruto's hopes at having the scroll today were crushed when Tsunade's face dropped, her eyes going soft and looking sad.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair again with a heavy sigh, _"I've seen so many great Shinobi die, Minato-san if only you could see your son now. You would be proud, he wishes to use your jutsu for its original purpose."_

In truth Shizune found the scroll an hour after Naruto asked for it, but Tsunade was worried about Naruto's reason for wanting it. She was aware that he was having a hard time coping with the great losses they all suffered, she was worried that he was traveling down a dark path. But seeing him stand there with Hinata, casually leaning on her shoulder, her fears and doubts were washed away.

Opening one of the drawers in her desk, Tsunade pulled out a thick scroll. "Shizune found it pretty fast yesterday, I had her copy the text from the original to this scroll. This one is yours to keep Naruto, but don't be careless with it there are secret Leaf techniques in there. Including the Hiraishin."

Tsunade flippantly tossed the scroll towards Naruto, who caught it with ease.

Naruto flashed Tsunade a familiar goofy grin, "Don't worry Baa-chan I will guard this with my life!"

"Come on Hinata, let's go get some ramen before we dive into this bad boy." Naruto said, waving the scroll in front of him.

Hinata rolled her eyes and sighed, giving a quick bow to Tsunade she turned and followed Naruto out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Tsunade couldn't help but giggle at Naruto … and Hinata's reaction to the thought of ramen for lunch. She was receiving a lot of pressure from the council about Naruto. Even after everything Naruto had accomplished, they still feared the Kyuubi. They were concerned that his current state of depression would allow the demon fox to take control of Naruto, causing more devastation to Konohagakure. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders, eager to tell those old bats that they had nothing to fear.

"Shizune" Tsunade called.

Poking her head through the door Shizune answered, "Hai, Lady Tsunade"

"Rearrange my schedule, I am going to take some personal time for the next few hours."

"Hai, Lady Tsunade"

Rising from her chair, Tsunade grabbed her green coat, the Kanji for gamble emblazoned on the back, and left her office. Heading to the Memorial Stone, she had a lot to tell her old teammate Jiraiya.

Naruto was waiting for Hinata outside of the Hokage's office, he watched as she closed the door behind her.

Hinata turned around after closing the door and let out a frustrated sigh, "Naruto, do we have to have ramen for lunch?"

"What's wrong with ramen? I eat it all the time."

"Naruto only you could eat that much ramen and not get a stomach ache. How about we stop by the market for some ingredients and I will cook us some lunch?"

Naruto slipped the scroll into a hidden pocket on his coat, pouting he agreed to skip the ramen for lunch, in favour of Hinata's suggestion. Knowing that she was going to make him eat vegetables, he shuddered at the thought.

Naruto sat at the table slowly unraveling the scroll while Hinata busied herself in his small kitchen. A small crease formed on Naruto's forehead, his eyebrows knit together as he read through a complicated explanation of how the Hiraishin no Jutsu worked.

Frustrated he lay back on the floor and yelled out, "GAHH, IT'S SO HARD!"

Hinata jumped at his outburst, "Naru, you'll get it. You learned Kage Bushin no Jutsu when you were 12, and even then you only had a short time to learn the hand seals before Iruka-sensei found you." She encouraged, turning back to the stove to stir the contents of the bubbling pot.

Naruto covered his eyes with his arm, mentally drawing the Hiraishin seal.

When he heard Hinata set a plate on the table he let his arm slid off his face, his hand hitting the floor above his head.

Sniffing the air he commented, "Mmmm, that smells really good Hinata."

Pushing himself back to a sitting position Naruto's eyes bulged when he saw the delicious meal waiting for him. "Woooah, Hina this looks delicious!"

Hinata returned to the table carrying her own plate of food, settling into a comfortable position she smiled at Naruto's compliment. "Thank you Naruto, it means a lot to me that you like my cooking."

Flashing her a grin, Naruto picked up his chopsticks, "Itadakimasu!"

Digging into his plate of food Naruto couldn't help but let a moan of pleasure escape his lips.

"Ohhh, this is good Hina!"

Smiling at his compliment she picked up her own chopsticks, "Itadakimasu."

Between mouthfuls Naruto said, "Hina, after lunch lets take the scroll to that spot in the forest and study it together. I can't wait for us to learn it, that way we can see each other whenever we want."

"Without having to sneak in, or out, of the Hyuga estate." He said, flashing her an exaggerated wink.

"Naru, I know you're excited to learn a new jutsu, but I think we should wait until tomorrow to go out in the forest. It's already getting to be late in the afternoon, if we go today we won't get a lot of time to study it."

Thinking, Hinata placed a finger on her lips. She knew that there was no way she could convince him against studying the scroll today, but she knew that if they went out to the forest they'd be wasting a lot daylight hours.

"Hmm, what if we stayed here to study the scroll after cleaning up the lunch dishes?" She asked.

"That way we can spend more time reading the scroll and practice writing the seals. Then tomorrow we can head out early and practice what we learn."

Naruto thought about what she was saying for a minute, "Hmm, I guess you're right Hina. We'll stay here to study and practicing writing seals today."

* * *

A/N : Thank you for reading and please, please, please review. And on that note I would love to send a special thanks YungHime and Ayrmed for consistently reviewing, your kind words provide me with encouragement to continue.

I know that I've never done this before but I have been reading some great stories, so I am going to start recommending them at the end of each chapter.

The first one I am going to recommend is from one of my consistent reviewers, Ayrmed. The story is called "Love's Never Easy" (story id: 9400626)


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